Elastic exercising device



Jan. 30, 1934. J H, BRUNK 1,945,134 I ELASTIC EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Feb. 15, 1933 Li L/ 15 g. 15 17%. 5. E

.122 g L/ 2 g Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNiTE STATE PATENT @FFiQE ELASTIC EXERCISING DEVICE John H. Brunk, Les Angeles, Calif.

Application February 15, 1933. Serial No. 656,850

5 Glaims.

My invention relates to an elastic exercising device and has for its principal object, the provision of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive one-piece device constructed wholly of elastic material such as rubber and which device may be conveniently manipulated for exercising and developing practically all of the muscles in the body and thereby producing health, energy and vitality and at the same time developing grace and maintaining the body in vigorous condition.

A further object of my invention is, to provide an elastic exercising device having hand holds or gripping members at its ends that are provided with separate pockets or compartments for the fingers and which gripping members are effective in exercising all portions of the hands and fingers and particularly the palmar arches of the hands.

A further object of my invention is, to provide an improved exerciser that is relatively simple in construction, capable of being economically manufactured and which may be conveniently and advantageously used in accomplishing a number of difierent exercises.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in perspective of an elastic exercising device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section similar to Fig. 3 and showing a modified form of the hand gripping member at the end of the elastic band.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a pair of the exercising devices placed back to back for the purpose of producing an exercising device having double strength or resistance to pulling strains.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, 10 designates a strap or band that is formed from practically pure rubber, thereby imparting to said strap or band a relatively high degree of elasticity and formed integral with one face of said band, immediately adjacent to the edges thereof, are reenforcing beads or ribs 11.

Formed integral with the ends of the strap or band and on the same face withthe ribs or beads 11, are transversely disposed hand holds or gripping members 12 that are substantially square in cross section and the outer side faces of these hand gripping members are formed slightly concave, as designated by 13.

Formed integral with the upper face of each hand hold are two or more longitudinally disposed parallel ribs or beads 14 that are designed to increase the frictional resistance offered by 6 the hand holds when gripped in the hands.

The length of the hand holds 12is slightly greater than the width of the band 10 and the end portions of the beads or ribs 11 are extended to the ends of the inner faces of the hand grip- 7 ping members to form slightly inclined webs or flanges 15.

Inasmuch as the thickness of the hand holds is substantially greater than the thickness of the band 11, the upper edges of these side flanges 7 l 15 gradually decline from the ends of the hand holds to the end portions of the ribs or beads 11.

Formed integral with the end portions of the strap or band 11, immediately adjacent to the hand holds 12 on the same face with the latter, 30 are short longitudinally disposed parallel flanges 16, the upper edges of which gradually decline from the upper edge of the hand holds to the face of the strap or band 11. There are three of these flanges or partitions 16 and together i with the side flanges 15, that form four recesses or pockets 17, immediately adjacent to the inner side faces of the hand holds 12 and which pockets or recesses are adapted to receive the fingers of the hands when the latter grip the hand holds 12.

In some instances the inner faces of the hand holds 12 at the inner ends of the finger pockets 17 may be recessed, as illustrated in Fig. 4, in order to provide a firmer grip for the ends of the fingers that enclose the hand holds.

In the use of my improved exercising device, the hand holds 12 are firmly gripped in the palms of the hands with the ends of the fingers positioned in the recesses or pockets 1'? between the 10Ci partitions 16 and side flanges 15 and by moving the ends away from each other, the elastic band 10 is stretched to afford yielding resistance to the spreading movement of the ends after which the pull upon the hand holds is relaxed, thereby permitting the strap to contract to its normal condition.

The gripping of the hand holds by the hands and particularly while the band is being stretched, exercises all muscles of the hands and fingers and particularly the palmar arches of the hands and the stretching of the elastic band exercises the muscles of the wrists, arms and shoulders.

To exercise other parts of the body, the intermediateportion of the band may be placed across the back of the neck or beneath the chin during the alternate stretching and contracting movements imparted to said band or said band may be placed across the back of the user beneath the thighs while the user is in a sitting position or beneath one or both feet while the user is in a sitting or recumbent position and when so applied the band is alternately stretched and permitted to contract, thereby simultaneously exercising the arms, hands and different parts of the body.

To produce best results all movements with the exerciser should be comparatively slow and to.

develop the lungs and heart action, the user of the device may inhale and exhale slowly in proper time relation with the stretching and contracting movements of the device.

For increasing the resistance to pulling strains,

two of the exercising devices may be placed with their fiat surfaces directly against each other as illustrated in Fig. 5 and when so positioned a pair of the hand holds are brought into position immediately adjacent to each other to be conveniently gripped in the hands.

Obviously my improved exercising device may be made in different sizes with different degrees of elasticity for the accommodation of adults, youths and children, or for persons of different degrees of strength.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an exercising device that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved elastic exercising device may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. An exercising device, comprising a strap of elastic material, transversely disposed hand holds formed integral with the ends of said strap and disposed wholly above one of the side faces of said strap and individual finger tip receiving pockets formed on the inner faces of said hand holds.

2. An exercising device, comprising a strap of elastic material, transversely disposed hand holds formed integral with the ends of said strap and disposed wholly above one of the side faces of said strap, individual finger tip receiving pockets formed on the inner faces of said hand holds and partitions formed integral with said hand holds and straps between said pockets.

3. An exercising device, comprising an elastic strap, transversely disposed hand holds formed integral with the ends of said strap and disposed wholly above one of the side faces of said strap, individual finger tip receiving recesses formed on the inner faces of said hand holds, the outer faces of said hand holds being concaved longitudinally and a plurality of longitudinally disposed ribs formed on the upper faces of said hand holds.

t. An exercising device, comprising a strap of elastic material, transversely disposed hand holds formed on one of the faces of said strap adjacent to its ends and disposed wholly above one of the side faces of said strap, individual finger tip receiving pockets formed on the inner faces of said hand holds and the outer faces of said hand holds being longitudinally concaved.

5. An exercising device, comprising a strap of elastic material, transversely disposed hand holds formed on one of the faces of said strap adjacent to its ends and disposed wholly above one of the side faces of said strap, individual finger tip receiving pockets formed on the inner faces of said hand holds, the outer faces of said hand holds being longitudinally ooncaved and longitudinally disposed parallel ribs formed on the upper faces of said hand holds.

JOHN H. BRUNK. 

